While most of the Joss Whedon news that has people abuzz lately concerns both his return as a writer/director for The Avengers 2, as well as his ascendancy as one of the primary ‘architects’ of ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Two,’ one of the most interesting things happening in the nerd-king’s career right now is his return to television. As we reported earlier this year, Whedon will be the executive producer of a television show following the lives of a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents (you know, the military guys and gals in The Avengers who wear the cheesy sub-Star Trekjumpsuits and take orders from a one-eyed Sam Jackson). And now we have the first leaked character details.

While the plot details of the show are still murky—apparently it will be a spy program focusing on a small group of agents, and is nestled within Marvel’s superhero universe—we do know that the main cast will be an all new group of characters. As /Film notes, Whedon was careful to populate the show with a new cast because “it needs to be its own thing,” rather than having characters constantly exclaim “Iron Man just left, but he was totally here a minute ago,” because “you want them to go off on their own thing, and say, well, what has S.H.I.E.L.D. got that the heroes don’t have?”

Whedon went on to explain that as the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are human beings surrounded by superheroes, they are the “underdogs” of the Marvel universe. Curious who these characters will be? Check ‘em out:

Skye – This late-20s woman sounds like a dream: fun, smart, caring and confident – with an ability to get the upper hand by using her wit and charm.

Agent Grant Ward – Quite the physical specimen and “cool under fire,” he sometimes botches interpersonal relations. He’s a quiet one with a bit of a temper, but he’s the kind of guy that grows on you.

Agent Althea Rice – Also known as “The Calvary,” this hard-core soldier has crazy skills when it comes to weapons and being a pilot. But her experiences have left her very quiet and a little damaged.

Agent Leo Fitz and Agent Jemma Simmons – These two came through training together and still choose to spend most of their time in each other’s company. Their sibling-like relationship is reinforced by their shared nerd tendencies – she deals with biology and chemistry, he’s a whiz at the technical side of weaponry.

If this sounds a bit like Whedon-by-numbers to you, don’t worry, it kind of is (really, this sounds like a cast from a show called Firefly the Dollhouse Slayer more than anything else). But hey, anything that brings Whedon back to television will be welcome on our end.